Ammon Bundy headed to jail after Idaho judge says he ‘consistently’ defied orders

BOISE (Idaho Statesman) — Far-right leader Ammon Bundy is heading to jail for 10 days.

The gubernatorial candidate was found guilty of being in contempt of court Thursday after he refused to complete 40 hours of community service related to a July 2021 conviction. Bundy had argued that his stops made during his gubernatorial campaign satisfied his court-mandated community service.

Ada County Magistrate Judge Annie McDevitt sentenced Bundy to 10 days in jail along with a $3,000 fine. He was immediately handcuffed and taken to the Ada County Jail on Thursday.

“You didn’t just blow it off. Rather, you took the time and effort to blatantly disrespect the court’s order, making a mockery of the sentence you received,” McDevitt told Bundy. “You were given an opportunity to go complete public service — you could have done it.”

In February, Ada County Deputy Prosecutor Whitney Welsh issued a motion to hold Bundy in contempt of court for not completing the 40 hours of community service he was sentenced to after he was found guilty of trespassing at the Lincoln Auditorium.

Bundy had until Jan. 1, 2022, to complete the 40 hours of community service, and he had yet to complete any as of Thursday. In the motion, Welsh argued that Bundy willfully failed to complete his community service.

Bundy disagreed. Less than a month before the community service was due, Bundy had argued that his campaign stops satisfied the community service mandate. On Nov. 29, Bundy’s campaign treasurer, Aaron Welling, submitted a letter to Idaho’s 4th District Court and claimed Bundy had “completed 1,621 hours of public service.”

Welling said Bundy has traveled the state while encouraging people to “become more active in holding public officials accountable to the people of Idaho.”